Game Director from Hell

Chapter 37: Ending

Every story has an end.

So did the story of the girl and the butterfly.

It began in a cave somewhere on the initial beach, where they encountered the Hell of Heretics

Then came the Hell of Pleasure followed by the Hell of Decay and Hell of Destruction. Finally, they returned to this place.

The girl and the butterfly had overcome countless perils and now found themselves at a golden door, welcoming the moonlight that erased the bleakness of the sky.

The butterfly spoke.

"Well, you can go beyond this."

"What's there?"

"Somewhere better than here."

The girl hesitated in front of the golden door, and after a moment, she managed to utter a word.

"And you?"

The lingering question was the reason for her hesitation. From what I could discern, the girl wanted to stay with the butterfly. She didn't want to part with it in any other way.

But there was one unfortunate thing for the girl. The butterfly's intentions were different from hers.

"I can't. There are many things I must do."

The butterfly's intention was firm. It was a harsh notification that erased all the encouragement, support, and encouragement it had provided so far.

If the butterfly had taken such a resolute attitude, the girl would have no choice but to nod her head. The girl who knew nothing would have willingly gone beyond the door.

However...

"I don't want to."

The girl didn't. She was expressionless as before, with no fluctuations in her voice, no change in her behaviour.

But there was one thing she revealed: a strong will.

The butterfly's wings trembled in surprise.

After stammering in apparent confusion for a moment, the butterfly gently landed on the girl's forehead, folding its wings as if embracing her.

"...You have to go. I'm begging you."

It pleaded with a pleading tone.

The girl's head hung low. Only her trembling hand represented her emotions.

Non-verbal affirmation. Only after receiving an answer did the butterfly take flight again.

"Go beyond the door."

Her voice was calm.

The girl responded.

"...Yes."

And so, the girl left. Beyond the door, leading to an unknown destination, as the butterfly had said, to a place where she could be happier than others.

But also a place they might never meet again.

Swoosh...

The waves washed over the sandy shore, and the door the girl had left through blurred.

The butterfly stood there for a long time.

Until then, I had thought.

What was the journey of these two people, leaving only questions behind? Why did the girl leave hell, and what was the butterfly's purpose?

The hell they had been in before meeting each other had been quite terrible, making their newfound tranquillity all the more awkward.

It was a moment like that.

Swoosh...

With the waves surging again, the butterfly's form changed once more.

For me, it was a breath taking sight because the turquoise-colored shimmering butterfly had, for the first time, taken on the form of a human, a form that was very familiar to me.

'...!'

She was a woman in a white dress, with long golden hair flowing gently, and sorrowful blue eyes that shone brightly. She gave off the impression that any girl would grow up to be just like her.

And with a sad smile, she said, "Farewell."

Suddenly, a crash, as if lightning had struck, fiercely disrupted my thoughts.

The entire journey flashed back before me, leading me to a single deduction.

"Ah."

It was only then that I understood the meaning behind all the scenes of hell and the girl's journey.

It had been strange all along.

Why did hell show the girl's life, which she couldn't possibly have lived? Why did the butterfly guide her escape from hell and not reveal any reasons to her? Why was the girl considered guilty just for being born?

The answer was surprisingly simple.

All the disconnected puzzle pieces fell into place when you swapped the main characters – from the girl to the butterfly, from the butterfly's form to that of a woman.

In other words, the girl's mother.

This had been the butterfly's hell from the beginning.

"Be happy. More than anyone in the world," the woman said with a sad smile.

Gradually, cracks appeared, like lightning, extending over the woman's body. It became an unstoppable, overwhelming force that began to crumble her.

Even as she was disappearing, the woman's smile grew brighter. Like someone who had just emptied all their burdens, and like someone who had longed for salvation.

Observing this, I reflected, "That woman must have lived for a long time."

Believing in false faith, indulging in schemes that could destroy her, harming others for financial gain, and planning mutual annihilation – she must have lived for quite some time.

In other words, the path the girl had walked was the trajectory of the woman's life.

So why did it show the girl this path? Why was the girl considered guilty just for being born?

I can't say for certain.

All I know are the relationships between these two individuals, the woman's life, and the fact that this beach is a form of hell.

So, let me weave the story based on what I know for sure.

"A woman who lived unhappily."

The woman believed in a cult. As a result, she indulged in schemes that ruined herself, suffered from hunger severe enough to harm others for money, and even planned a double suicide.

"And the girl..."

The daughter who died with the woman. She was seventeen years old.

I don't know her background or her father's identity. However, it's clear that she was left in an environment where she received no education. The possibility of her receiving love is close to zero.

It was not a peaceful home.

Somewhere, there's a depiction of a tragic household that might be common.

Now, let me ask the question again.

The girl committed one sin.

For that reason, she fell into hell, where she had to traverse the path of the woman's life.

The cause and effect are clear.

"The cause of unhappiness."

The girl must have been the cause of the woman's unhappiness.

The woman must have suffered because of the girl.

At that moment, like a whisper in my ear, or like carving letters into my mind.

I knew the name of this hell.

"Hell of Resentment."

An island where those deeply hated by someone, like a sea of hatred, are swept ashore. They suffocate in that hatred, withering away and turning into blackened, burnt skeletons, only to spew their hatred towards someone else on the island.

Swoosh...

With the newfound knowledge, I added one more reason why the woman, on the brink of tranquility, rescued the girl. It was a somewhat emotional and speculative addition.

As I watched the woman facing her demise, I wondered if she might have regretted knowing that the girl had fallen into hell due to her own resentment. And so, she saved the girl and now, as she smiled and faded away, it might not be a smile of fulfillment but rather one of redemption.

Swoosh...

I managed to salvage a fragment of the woman that crumbled as the outgoing tide destroyed her. Like when she led the girl here, silently, into the depths of the sea of endless resentment.

And so, the Hell of Resentment concluded on such a bitter note.

****

"...Is that the end?"

Having heard the ending, Han Seorim asked. She appeared frustrated, angry, and stunned all at once.

"Is there nothing more?"

"No, there isn't..."

Han Seorim scratched her head in frustration and then spoke, "What about Alice? What's beyond the door? No, who is Alice's father in the first place?"

"I don't know."

"Then what about her mom? Why did she become a butterfly? Who did that to her? No, what happened to her in her previous life?"

"I don't know that either."

"No! How can you not know everything?"

"What can I do when I don't know everything?"

Unfortunately, that was the truth. I had merely observed the mother and daughter's journey from the perspective of a thorough observer, and I couldn't be sure of what I hadn't seen with my own eyes.

Above all, the details in this story weren't that important.

"Maybe there's something like reincarnation? Like, they meet again as a happy mother and daughter in their next lives or something."

Desiring a happy ending is a common sentiment when consuming stories.

Han Seorim had a very common taste in that regard.

In other words, through Han Seorim, I could gauge the reactions of players who would view the ending in a similar manner.

I responded, "That's possible. If beyond the door that Alice passed through is the happiest place she can be, then she and her mother will meet again."

"Really? Is that official?"

"It's not official."

"Do you want to die?"

"..."

Fire sparked in her eyes.

In her attempt to force a happy ending, I was reminded of something that had happened recently.

"Crying while watching a drama? Honestly, isn't that just forced tears? It's all a made-up story. How can you immerse yourself when you know it's a lie? I just don't understand people who cry while watching a drama."

She had commented on the topic, and now her pupils were rolling.

She had become like this just from hearing a single story, not even a drama.

What a contradictory being, one whose words and actions didn't align.

Anyway...

"Let's move on."

"What? How can we move on?"

"We need to discuss our business. There's something I want to add to the ending."

"Huh?"

Han Seorim's forehead narrowed.

Hmm, it seemed she had completely forgotten about my call to discuss something.

"As I mentioned before. There's something you need to do."

"What is it?"

"I need you to create one more boss."

"Isn't Chapter 4 already concluding with a boss?"

"I had originally planned that way, but I've had a change of heart. It feels a bit underwhelming."

While the narrative is crucial in Hellic 2, the essence of this medium is still a game. Considering the pressure players would feel when confronting the final boss from a gameplay perspective, the boss in Chapter 4 seemed a bit lacking.

After all, even though the narrative was important, it ultimately was a game.

If players were to face the final boss from a gameplay perspective, they needed to feel that pressure. The background should be the beach, the root cause of the story.

"Let's call it the end by introducing another boss from a different hell, with its unique personality. Otherwise, it might feel like the knots are left untied after all we've built up."

Indeed, it might be challenging to set a separate final boss battle in the beach other than the one in Chapter 4. There didn't seem to be many other options.

"In a narrative sense, it's an issue. We've hidden the identity of the butterfly within the game. Even if we reveal that identity in the ending, players won't have enough time to deeply immerse themselves in the perspective of the butterfly. Emotional understanding will be lacking. After all, this entire game has revolved around this one ending, and if that falls short, it's an error."

"Still, that's true, but..."

Suddenly, Han Seorim tilted her head.

"How are you going to make them immerse themselves? If it's the final boss battle, Alice should still be in the middle of playing. With the butterfly's identity not revealed, won't there be no time for immersion?"

"It's not that Alice will defeat the final boss."

"Huh?"

"The backdrop for the final boss battle is right after Alice crosses the door, just as the door gradually fades away."

Originally, it was the scene where the butterfly returned in human form, turned into dust, and revealed its identity to the player—a process to make the player realize the butterfly's true identity.

However, that alone was not enough.

There had to be an execution that encapsulated everything. The remorse of the woman who resented her child enough to lead her to the Hell of Resentment, her resolve to accept her own demise, and the woman's entire life, tracing a single trajectory, had to be depicted. And this was the answer.

"The butterfly will transform into her mother just before the door disappears and engage in the final boss battle to protect the door."

"Wait, what?"

"After all, shouldn't she avoid the boss crossing over and finding Alice?"

This was the superficial reason. But in fact, some calculations beyond the game itself had contributed to this decision.

It was a solution to the chronic issue of the Hellic game IP—the absence of common settings.

It was simple. I could utilize the accumulated settings of the various hells.

"The butterfly's life has been downhill all along. From her suicide alongside Alice to her self-destruction to rescue her daughter from hell, it was all downhill."

"That's... true?"

"Doesn't it fit well as a boss? A life marked by self-destruction."

At that moment, Han Seorim's eyes widened.

And soon, she found the answer.

"Is it... the protagonist from the previous game?"

"That's right."

The warden from Hellic 1, the overseer of the self-destructive souls in hell, the ruthless expert torturer with blue skin and black tattoos.

He could be the one pursuing the butterfly to the beach, aiming to capture both the butterfly and Alice.

"The final bossification of the previous game's protagonist. It's a concept only possible in a series."

In the end, that was the idea.

"A mother's story to save her daughter. Her opponent will be the previous game's protagonist, in other words, the most powerful character in the universe. That's the theme for the final boss battle."

A poignant and spine-chilling concept.

A way to deliver a significant blow to the players.